Swys de Bruin wants Springbok Women's forwards to turn up the heat against Black Ferns

“Leave everything on the field. We will carry you off if you are too tired to walk at the end of it. This is the biggest game of your life, go out and enjoy it.”

This was the clear and emphatic message from Springbok Women’s coach Swys de Bruin to his charges ahead of their historic Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand’s Black Ferns on Saturday afternoon (2pm kick-off).

With this in mind, De Bruin has decided to go with a 7-1 bench split in favour of his forwards for the clash, when he announced his team on Thursday — looking at his big pack of forwards to empty their tanks in their first-ever World Cup knockout match.

De Bruin also welcomed back his key players for the match, with captain and lock Nolusindiso Booi returning to the side as one of 10 changes to the starting team that lined up against France last Sunday.

Booi, Lindelwa Gwala (hooker), Danelle Lochner (lock), Sizophila Solontsi (flanker), Libbie Janse van Rensburg (flyhalf), Zintle Mpupha (centre), and Ayanda Malinga (wing) were all rested against France, and were last in action against Italy two weekends ago.

De Bruin opted to name seven forwards on the bench, with Eloise Webb the only backline cover. Locks Vainah Ubisi and Anathi Qolo have both been included on the bench, along with loose forwards Catha Jacobs and Lerato Makua, all of whom started against France last Sunday. The front row of Yonela Nxgingola, Luchell Hanekom, and Nombuyekezo Mdliki round off the "bomb squad."

It's no secret that the pack is the strength of the Bok Women, and they put in a lot of energy at the scrum, line-out mauling, and a pick-and-go style of play through the middle.

“We decided on the 7-1 split because of the profile of our team,” said De Bruin.

“We are a team that likes to dominate upfront and playing two fresh packs – in each half – against the Black Ferns is a tactical decision. We rested all those players against France to be ready for this Test, and now it is time for them to take on New Zealand with fresh legs and eager minds.

“You must realise, our squad was not used to this intensity and quality of opposition for a long time, so we had to plan their workload properly. I am happy to say it worked out exactly as planned and we are ready to go.”

The Bok Women’s coach said they are aware of the threats from New Zealand's players, who have a lot of speed at the back. The wide channels are probably an area where they will try to outflank the Bok Women and keep the ball away from South Africa’s big tacklers in the trenches.

“They have won the World Cup six times already; we did not even enter the qualification play-offs in 2017 and lost all our matches in 2022 — that is how far behind we are against them,” said De Bruin.

“Their players’ passing ability and accuracy are amazing, and one can see they have played this game from a young age. That is not the case with us. But that said, we have improved so much, and few teams will beat our heart and guts.”

Springbok Women team to face New Zealand in Exeter:

15 Byrhandré Dolf, 14 Maceala Samboya, 13 Zintle Mpupha, 12 Aphiwe Ngwevu, 11 Ayanda Malinga, 10 Libbie Janse van Rensburg, 9 Nadine Roos, 8 Aseza Hele, 7 Sinazo Mcatshulwa, 6 Sizophila Solontsi, 5 Danelle Lochner, 4 Nolusindiso Booi (captain), 3 Babalwa Latsha, 2 Lindelwa Gwala, 1 Sanelisiwe Charlie.

Replacements: 16 Luchell Hanekom, 17 Yonela Ngxingolo, 18 Nombuyekezo Mdliki, 19 Vainah Ubisi, 20 Anathi Qolo, 21 Lerato Makua, 22 Catha Jacobs, 23 Eloise Webb.